A/N: Well, here it is at long last...the epilogue, which is obviously all SQ fluff. As I mentioned before, there may be a few oneshots to come once I let this fic settle for a bit (which will be tacked on after the epilogue), but for now, this is complete. Thank you all for joining me on my first SQ fic writing adventure

EPILOGUE: THREE WEEKS LATER

The next three weeks went by both extremely quickly and far too slowly for Regina and Emma. They continued to text frequently every day, including the occasional ridiculous Snapchat video when they were bored and had a few spare minutes, but their plans for daily Facetime sessions and actual phone calls quickly fell through. Both women were exceptionally busy, as Regina was back in Halifax filming the show's eighth season premiere and Emma was in the middle of teaching summer dance intensives throughout New England and preparing for her company's upcoming audition. After the positive review of her show a few weeks earlier, she and Killian had secured some new donors and now had the financial ability to expand by adding a few additional dancers to the company.

"I have a proposition for you, but it might be a little crazy, so just hear me out," Regina said to Emma on a Wednesday night when they finally had a chance to talk in real time. Emma had a rare night off from teaching and Regina was hanging out in her trailer, waiting for her hair and makeup call.

"I'm listening," Emma said as she poured herself a glass of Malbec and sat down on the couch in her living area. Despite the hot Maine summer and the desire to cool down with a cold beverage, she had become much more partial to red wine since her long weekend with Regina. She didn't even buy white wine varieties anymore, unless it happened to be prosecco. She smiled every time she did indulge in the bubbly drink, thinking back to that night on the balcony at Regina's hotel.

"Robin is going on his annual camping trip with his friends and our boys for about a week at the end of next month. It coincides with a break I have between filming our third and fourth episode of the season, so I'll be heading back to Montréal to get away from Halifax for a bit. I'll have the house to myself for five days, so if you want to, you could come visit."

"Are you serious?" Emma set the glass down on the coffee table so she wouldn't spill it.

"Yes. I know it may be a little fast since we haven't spent that much time together," Regina started, rambling a bit. "But, there would really be no pressure and no expectations. I would just like to see you again and see what happens."

Emma smiled. "Regina, I would love to come up."

"Really?" Regina let out a relieved sigh.

"Of course. I have a two-week break around that time as well, so I was hoping I might be able to see you for at least a little bit during that time."

"Okay, good. I'll get back to Montréal on the 18th, and Robin leaves on the 22nd. But, depending on your schedule you can come up before or after that. He won't care if you're here while he is."

"Okay…" Emma paused. "But, what about your kids? Won't that be weird if I'm there?"

Regina shook her head, even though Emma couldn't see her through the phone. "They won't mind. It's not like we've never had houseguests before. We'll just say you're a friend of ours, and they won't think anything of it. We have plenty of space."

"Okay, then. My schedule is clear after I'm done teaching on the 19th, so I'll check into flights and aim for getting there on the 20th or 21st. How long should I plan to stay? I don't' want to impose for too long."

"You won't be an imposition at all, Emma. Robin comes back the morning of the 27th, and I'll be around until the 31st. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like, until I go back." Regina glanced at the clock on her microwave and saw that she had to be in hair and makeup across the studio lot in five minutes. "I have to run and start getting ready to film, but let me know your flight information when you book it. I can pick you up from the airport."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Regina. I'm excited to see you."

"Me, too."

As soon as they hung up the phone, Emma started searching for flights.

When Emma woke up the next morning and checked her phone, she smiled when she saw she had several new text messages from Regina: I'm so happy you'll be able to come visit, read the first one. The second one was a photo of Regina and Belle pretending to nap in their director's chairs on set: So freaking tired. Whoever thought night shoots were a good idea needs to be killed. She checked the timestamp on that one and chuckled when she realized it was sent a little after four in the morning. As she scrolled through her messages, another one came in: Finally leaving. Thank God. I have two and a half days off, and I might spend them all in my bed.

Emma quickly wrote back: You're just getting done now? It's almost 8:00. Go home and sleep! She then followed that up with another message: By the way, I love waking up to messages from you.

As she waited for a reply, Emma started preparing her coffee. She heard the tell-tale new message notification on her phone: Good :). I hoped you had your phone off so I wouldn't keep waking you up with those, but I was so bored and needed something to do. It took four hours to film 15-minutes' worth of action. It should be worth it, though. It's an awesome episode. What are you up to today?

Not much. Going to book a flight to Montréal once I finish my coffee, and then I teach for two hours this morning. Other than that, I'm going to relish in a day of Netflix and bumming around on my couch. I've been traveling to teach for the past two weeks so I'm just happy to be home for a little while, Emma wrote back.

Regina's reply came almost immediately: I know how that feels. My ride is here, so I'm going to take a much-needed nap on my way home. I can't wait to see you. I wish we didn't have to wait another six weeks :(.

Emma typed back: I know, me too. I can't wait. Let me know if you're free to Facetime some during the next few days. I miss seeing your face, even if it's only through a screen.

I miss your face, too. I'd love that, Regina replied. I'll text you to schedule something when I wake up.

Emma smiled. Xoxo sleep well! She set her phone down and opened her laptop, quickly pulling up the ticket pages she had started browsing the night before. She settled on an early morning flight on the 21st. That way, she would be able to see Robin briefly, but not impose on him and the boys for more than one night before they left for their camping trip. She had to admit that she was excited by the idea of meeting Regina's sons, because they were clearly such an important part of her life, regardless of their biological origins. She also kind of wanted to see Robin again, just to make sure he really was okay with her encroaching on their lives like this. The Con was a unique situation, so Emma's own curiosity made her want to see what their daily lives were like in the real world. She quickly purchased the tickets, selecting a return flight six days after her arrival. She was excited, but also nervous, realizing that this trip would likely dictate whether there was any hope for pursuing something with Regina. She couldn't help but wonder whether they would still feel that same connection when they were in a more normal environment, or if it was just that the situation thrust it upon them.

Emma returned home early that afternoon after teaching. Walking into her loft, she tossed her keys in the bowl on her entry table and dropped her bag down on the floor, immediately heading over to the fridge to take out a bottle of water. She had forgotten to bring an extra one with her, and being in a studio with 20 sweaty dancing teenagers without air conditioning made her feel like she was dying.

She hastily consumed half the bottle before stopping to take a breath and check her phone. She knew she didn't have any new messages, because she would have seen them when she checked her phone on her walk up to her apartment a few minutes earlier. Nonetheless, she was secretly hoping that maybe Regina had sent something and she had just missed it. But, there was nothing. She slid her phone across the island as she picked up the bottle of water and sighed. She knew Regina was probably still asleep, as it had only been seven hours since their text conversation that morning and she clearly had been up all night working. She reasoned that Regina would probably sleep a few more hours and then text her.

Emma finished her bottle of water and tossed it in the recycling bin when she heard a knock on the door. She jumped, as she wasn't expecting any visitors. She walked over to the door and stood on the balls of her feet to look through the peephole. "Oh my God," she whispered as she opened the door. "Regina?"

Regina didn't respond. Instead, she pushed her way into the apartment and captured Emma's lips in her own as she pressed her against the closing door. "Hi," she finally said as they broke apart.

Emma grinned. "Oh my God. I can't believe you're here… What are you doing here?" She asked, still stunned and running her hands up and down Regina's arms. She was relishing the feel of Regina's body pressed against her own before she kissed her again.

"I couldn't wait six weeks to see you. You said you didn't have any plans for this afternoon, so I thought we could get a late lunch."

"You got on a plane and came all the way here from Nova Scotia to get lunch?" Emma asked as she skeptically raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, there aren't any direct flights, so it was a five and half hour ferry ride...but that is neither here nor there. The burgers in Halifax suck, and someone once told me that the best burgers on the Eastern Seaboard are at a little diner in Storybrooke. I had a craving. It seemed like a worthwhile adventure."

Emma pulled Regina in for hug, wrapping her arms tightly around her shoulders. "I'm so glad you did. Let me get changed quickly and we can go satisfy your craving."

Regina leaned into Emma and gave her another kiss. "Okay, but hurry up. I'm starving."

THE END

(For now...)

A/N: I know many of you requested that I have Regina leave Robin, but I didn't want the epilogue to go too far into the future and I didn't think it would be realistic for her to abandon that life after less than a month of knowing Emma (and really, only spending 3.5 days with her in-person). But, hopefully you see this as a "happy beginning" for her/on the road to a happy ending (at least I do). If I find the storylines to extend this fic into a sequel or more one shots, I definitely will, and they will likely look more like the ending you guys were hoping for :)

I can't thank you all enough for your response to this story. This story helped me find my love of writing again, so I appreciate you hanging on with me for the journey and for all your comments (both praise and constructive criticism - I appreciate it all). I write for myself as my creative outlet, but knowing that others are entertained by it, too, makes it even more enjoyable for me. I have posted the one or two chapters for two new fics, so I hope you'll check those out and see what you think. They are both very different from this one in genre, style, and even relationship dynamics between the ladies, so I'm not sure if they'll be your cup of tea, so to speak. But, I'd love your feedback. I have all of my fics roughly outlined so I know what will happen in each one, but I haven't written much beyond the first few chapters of each, so I'd love to know which ones you'd like me to continue/prioritize updating. I also have two more fics (one lighthearted, one more angsty) planned out, which I may start in a few weeks once my other two are progressing. So many ideas, so little time.